Schoolgirl attacks: Western Heights community says enough is enough

Maylene Meroiti, left, has started a community patrol in Western Heights after recents attacks, Louie Walker and Tyla Davis-Leo have volunteered. Photo/Stephen Parker

Members of the Western Heights community have begun patrolling the streets after one woman decided she had "had enough".

Maylene Meroiti grew up in the Rotorua suburb, attended Selwyn Primary School then Kaitao Middle School and Western Heights High School.

"I lived here with my mum and dad, I grew up here. There are families that have been here for 40 or 50 years.

"Heights was getting a bad reputation, and when I saw this on Facebook I got a little bit angry."

What Meroiti had seen was stories of violence against teenage girls, happening only five minutes from her front fence.

At least two groups of girls were attacked as they walked home from school on Old Quarry Rd on Monday last week.

"I contacted families in the streets and I said, we have to do something," Meroiti said.

"It has got a bit much, we need to do something."

Heavily involved in the Western Heights community through the community association and local sports, Meroiti believes kids should feel safe.

So she decided to begin a community patrol on Old Quarry Rd after school.

"We can never change the behaviours of certain people, but it's not about us bullying these bad kids, but just being there as a positive adult presence."

As she rang around her neighbours a roster was quickly put together through till the end of the school year.

Last night the group took to the streets for the first time and Meroiti said there would be someone out there every day from 2.45pm, when Selwyn School finishes.

Patrol volunteers Louie Walker said her family had been in Western Heights for the past 58 years.

"Me and May, we go way back, our journey together started in primary school," she said.

Walker said anything to do with abuse, whether it was drugs, alcohol or even with fists, she had had enough of it.

"I live just down the road from here.

"When we were these girls age it was safe, you were safe to walk home from school or out with friends."

Walker said they used to be a much tighter knit community.

"Doing this feels like we're sort of putting that back."

Rotorua police were unavailable for comment, but earlier said they were looking into the attacks and believed the attackers to be aged 13-15.